Lawrence, David 1942-

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LAWRENCE, David 1942-

PERSONAL:

Born December 9, 1942.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

The Dead Sit round in a Ring ("Stella Mooney" series), Michael Joseph (London England), 2002, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Nothing like the Night ("Stella Mooney" series), Michael Joseph (London, England), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Lawrence begins his "Stella Mooney" series with The Dead Sit round in a Ring. Publishers Weekly contributor Peter Cannon wrote that "rough dialogue, intricate plotting, and cascading suspense mark British author Lawrence's excellent debut." Detective Sergeant Stella Mooney investigates when four bodies are found positioned in a circle in a London flat. Three are related: sisters Joanna and Caroline Deever, and their brother, Conrad, have fulfilled a suicide pact. The fourth is murder victim Jimmy Stone, a punk crook who collected "murderabilia," such as a crime scene photo of the Manson killings and the autograph of O. J. Simpson, and sold it online. Jimmy had also been on the payroll of the notorious Tanner family. A fourth sibling, Henry, may have been able to provide a clue, but before Stella can glean any information from him, he jumps from the roof of the building.

As she investigates, Stella uncovers an operation that exploits women lured from Eastern Europe with the promises of jobs and visas, but which enslaves them and uses them for prostitution. She also discovers the London branch of the Serbian mafia and the murderer who works from within its depths. A Kirkus Reviews writer felt that Stella's "most colorful discovery is street hustler Billy Whizz, whose pet Barbary ape … tries to take a chunk out of Stella's neck." Booklist reviewer David Wright commented that "Lawrence's spare, keen-edge prose ploughs with irresistible force through this grim hellscape, churning up shards of dark poetry in its wake." Library Journal contributor Michele Leber called The Dead Sit round in a Ring "engrossing: it's a gritty, noirish police procedural about the 'near-to-the-knuckle' work done by cops who care about what they do."